Gov Unit 2

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

1886 *Combination of national craft unions representing labor interests in wages, hours, and safety *Individuals were members of their local unions, which in turn, were members of the AFL *Rather than revolutionary changes, they sought a better working life; their philosophy was "pure and simple unionism" *First president was Samuel Gompers

Knights of Labor

1st effort to create National union. Open to everyone but lawyers and bankers. Vague program, no clear goals, weak leadership and organization. Failed

proportional representation system

A form of representation in which seats in the legislature are allocated proportionally according to each political party's share of the popular vote. This system enables smaller parties to compete successfully for seats.

union

A worker association that bargains with employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions

American Federation of Government Employees

An American labor union representing over 600,000 employees of the federal government.

safe seats

An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted.

incumbent

An officeholder who is seeking reelection.

12th Amendment (1804)

Changes procedure for electing President and Vice-President (electors in college must vote for one person as president and for another as vice president)

interest group pluralism

Competition among open, responsive, and diverse groups help preserve democratic values and limits the concentration of power in any single group.

congressional

Congress has refused to propose a constitutional amendment and the Supreme Court has denied states the right to set term limits on (c)_______________________ terms

House

Elections for governor and for the U.S. Senate are more seriously contested and more adequately financed that those for the U.S. ____________

Tuesday; even

Elections for members of Congress occur on the first ______________ after the first Monday in November of ______-numbered years

mass media

Forms of communication, such as newspapers and radio, that reach millions of people; *forms of communication like the Internet, films, recordings, books, and e-chats reach almost everyone in the nation

House

Most elections in which body of Congress, the House or Senate, are not close? (Due to incumbency, a political party being stronger in said district, and/or unequal funding among candidates)

primary election

Nominating election held to choose party candidates who will run in the general election (I believe this isn't just for presidents, but can be for members of Congress, etc.)

seat; Senate

Presidential elections can occur two or four years into a senator's six-year term, so they can often run for presidency without fear of losing their ________. But if their Senate term expires the same year as the presidential election, many state's laws require them to give up their _________ seat to run for president, VP, etc.

single-issue

Pro-Choice groups, the NRA, and anti-immigration groups are examples of __________ __________ interest groups (aka ideological interest groups) that have a common view on one issue and a desire for government to pursue policies consistent with it

absentee voting

The casting of a ballot in advance by mail in situations where illness, travel, or other circumstances prevent voters from voting in their precinct.

midterm election

The congressional election that occurs midway through the president's term of office

state

___________ legislatures determine how to select their electors

interest group

a collection of people who share a common interest or attitude and seek to influence government for specific ends... usually work within framework of government and try to achieve goals through tactics like lobbying (aka "special interests")

closed shop

a company with a labor agreement under which union membership can be a condition of employment

open shop

a company with a labor agreement under which union membership cannot be required as a condition of employment

professional association

a group of individuals who share a common profession and are often organized for common political purposes related to that profession (ex. American Medical Association, American Bar Association)

caucus

a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform

party convention

a meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and, in some cases, to select party candidates for public office

national party convention

a national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules

open primary

a primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote

closed primary

a primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote

recall

a procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term

Duverger's Law

a regularity that only *two parties* tend to compete for control of the government in countries that have single-member, plurality electoral systems (winner-take-all-systems make minor parties seem like a waste of votes)

third party (minor party)

a small political party that persists over time that is often composed of ideologies on the right or left, or centered on a charismatic candidate.

faction

a term the founders (i.e. James Madison) used to refer to political parties and special interests or interest groups

pluralism

a theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group

provisional ballot

a vote that is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered

representatives; senators

adding up a state's number of ________________________ and ________________ will give you their number of electoral votes

economic

agriculture, consumers, plumbers, the airplane industry, landlords, truckers, and property owners are all examples of what kind of interest? (starts with an "e")

Chamber of Commerce

an association, primarily of people in business, to promote the commercial interests of an area (this is the broadest business trade association)

realigning election (critical elections)

an election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties (ex. 1932 election during Great Depression)

nonpartisan election

an election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties, and party affiliation is not listed on ballots (ex. local elections, judicial elections)

direct primary

an election in which voters choose party nominees

proportional representation

an election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote (ex. this is how parliaments work) *not in the US*

winner-take-all-system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins... the winner does not have to have the majority, only the plurality

faithless elector

an elector who does not vote for his or her state's popular vote winner... not one of these electors has ever cased the deciding vote, and their incidence is rare

free rider

an individual who does not join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence

public interest group

an organization that seeks a collective good that will not selectively and materially benefit group members

political party

an organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy

lame duck

an outgoing official serving out the remainder of a term, after retiring or being defeated for reelection... seen as less influential since other politicians know that their ability to bestow or withhold favors is coming to an end

nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)

another type of foreign policy interest group that is a nonprofit association operating outside government that advocates and pursues policy objectives

interest

auto companies and employee unions are both examples of _____________ groups

all

candidates who win a plurality of the popular vote in a state secure (all/most/few/none) of that state's electoral votes

social movement

consists of many people interested in a significant issue, idea, or concern who are willing to take action to support or oppose it... seek to change attitudes or institutions, not just politics (interest groups sometimes begin as this)

Tea Party Movement

created after Barack Obama's election, a political movement that advocates lower government spending, lower taxes, and limited government (Republicans)

December

during what month do winning electors go to their state capital to cast ballots?

party; candidates; plurality

electors are nominated by their party and are usually longtime (p)_________ workers... they are expected to cast their electoral votes for the party's (c)__________________ for president and vice president if their parties candidate gets a (majority/plurality) of the vote in their state

platform

every four years the political parties draft a document stating the policy positions of the party. This party _______________ details general party-wide issue stances. The process sometimes engenders disputes among fellow partisans but is rarely an election issue and often is written to avoid controversy

social

examples of ____________ movements include the civil rights, environmental, anti-tax, animal rights, women's rights, Christian Right, gay rights, anti-immigration, and antiwar movements

name recognition

gives incumbents an advantage over challengers in election campaigns because voters are more familiar with them, and incumbents are more recognizable (ex. due to more news coverage)

divided government

governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress

economic interest groups

groups that organize to influence government policy for the economic benefit of their members *want financial and political benefits*

4

how man years is a presidential term?

6

how many years is a senatorial term?

2

how many years is a term in the House of Representatives?

Senate; senator; one

if no candidate gets a majority of electoral votes for *vice president*, the _______________(a federal body of gov't) chooses between the top two candidates, with each ______________ casting ______ vote

House; one

if no candidate gets a majority of the electoral votes for *president*, the ____________(a federal body of government), chooses among the top three candidates, with each state delegation having ______ vote

outspend

incumbents in the House and Senate often will against challengers because they can greatly (o)_____________________ them with more money/resources

economic, ideological/single-issue, public interest, foreign policy, government

interest groups can be categorized into what 5 broad types?

disproportionate representation

issue where *sparsely populated states* like Wyoming and Vermont have at least one representative in the House and two senators, and thus *3 electoral votes, regardless of population*. This means their population/electoral vote ratio may be less than other states that have more, making the *votes in their state matter more and have more weight/impact*

majority

it may only take a plurality to decide which party gets the electors in a state, but it takes a ________________ of electoral votes for president/VP to win.

term limits

laws that limit the number of terms elected officials can serve (ex. 22nd Amendment sets the presidential term limit to 2 terms)

news media

media providing the public with new information about subjects of public interest; *parts of the mass media that tell the public what is going on in the country and the world*

24/7 news cycle

news is now constantly updated and presented (via Internet sites like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal and cable news sources like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC)

trade association

nonprofit organization that promotes the interests of a particular industry... businesses with similar interests join together in these (ex. Chamber of Commerce)

staggered terms

not all offices are up for election at once(ex. 1/3 of senate are up for election every two years)... this makes it necessary for any faction to endure and not be a whimsical interest at one moment

fourth

often, the media are referred to as the ___________ branch of government due to its political and social influence

winner; extremism

one proposed issue with proportional representation is that it may make it harder to have a clear (winner/loser), and it may contribute to political instability and ideological (e)____________________

partisan gerrymandering

process by which districts are drawn to maximize the number of House seats a particular political party can win; done to enhance party control and incumbent reelection

turnout

since a proportional representation system more accurately reveals the division of voter preferences and gives those who do not vote with the plurality some influence, it may encourage greater voter (t)_____________ for people who identify with parties that rarely win elections

Single member district system

system in which the people elect one representative per district for any given election (senator, governor, U.S. House, state legislature). With a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties.

fixed terms

terms of office that have a definite length of time, e.g., two years for a member of the House.

competition

the Constitution encourages (c)________________ between factions

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009)

the Tea Party groups/movement formed in 2009 in retaliation the this $787 billion economic stimulus package enacted under the Obama administration

coattail effect

the boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of same-party candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president

lose

the current president's party tends to (gain/lose) seats in the House during midterm elections, though this trend does not always follow through

patronage

the dispensing of government jobs to persons who belong to the winning political party (spoils system)

12th

the election of 1800 where the House had to choose in a tie vote between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr prompted the __________ amendment, which required that electors in the Electoral College vote for one person as president and another as vp

electoral college

the electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidate; indirect device/aspect of democracy

trust

the founders created the electoral college because they did not ________ the people to directly choose the president

differentiated

the impact of a national tide can by reduced by the nature of the candidates on the ballot who may have (d)__________________ themselves from their party or its leader if the tide is negative.

national tide

the inclination to focus on national issues, rather than local issues, in an election campaign

polls

the place where people vote

collective bargaining

the process in which a union represents a group of employees in negotiations with the employer about wages, benefits, and workplace safety

candidate appeal

the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and their background, experience, visibility... *how voters feel about a candidate's background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities*

Nebraska and Maine

these are the only two states which allocate electoral votes to the winner in each congressional district plus two elector votes for the winner of the state as a whole

separation of powers; checks and balances

these two elements of democracy make it hard for a faction to dominate government

extremists

these types of voters (moderates/incumbents/extremists) tend to turn out more in primary elections

false (as in the case of Al Gore and Bush in 2000, Gore won more popular votes but had less electoral votes, and thus lost the presidency to Bush)

true/false... if a presidential candidate wins the popular vote, he is automatically elected president

false

true/false... winning presidential candidates always provide a coattail effect boost to candidates of the same party running for offices below them

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

union that represents most state and local government employees, has over 1.6 million members (AFSCME)

state; local

votes are counted in the United States according to (federal/state) law as administered by (state/local) officials

crossover voting

voting by a member of one party for a candidate of another party (ex. Republican or Independents voting in the Democratic primary)

state

which laws, state or federal, determines most electoral (voting) rules?

Democratic

which party did unions traditionally identify with?

Congress

who counts the electoral ballots and formally announces who won President and VP in January?